The Marlins’ thinking on Max Meyer as he continues to dominate. And personnel notes
This season, the Marlins believe it’s a matter of when, not if, for when they call up top starting pitching prospect Max Meyer, who continues to dominate in the minors.
While there has been some internal discussion about Meyer joining the major league team’s bullpen, Miami remains more likely to use him in its starting rotation at some point.
Elieser Hernandez has struggled as the Marlins’ fourth starter, and Meyer could slide into that role fairly seamlessly.
Hernandez had a 5.75 ERA in four starts, and his six home runs allowed in just 20 1/3 innings are the most in baseball. A Marlins official said poor fastball location has been the primary culprit on those home runs.
Nevertheless, the organization still is a big believer in Hernandez. Teams inquired about him in trade talks over the past year, and the Marlins could decide to deal him this summer or shift him to the bullpen, where he could be used as a long reliever.
Meyer has told associates that he is ready for the big leagues right now.
He has made five starts at Triple A Jacksonville this season, going 2-0 with a 1.71 ERA, with 21 base-runners allowed and 33 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings.
Meyer, who is rated by MLB.com as the 33rd best prospect in baseball, has now appeared in 27 minor league games, all starts, and has a sterling 2.16 ERA with 163 strikeouts and 105 hits allowed in 137 ⅓ innings.
Marlins catcher Jacob Stallings caught Meyer this spring and emerged impressed.
“He’s really good, really talented,” Stallings said. “His slider is his best pitch. He has great feel for it. It’s nasty. That’s the thing that separates him from everybody else. His mentality, too. He’s got no fear. He goes out there and really competes. He’s going to be a good one. Good kid [too]. He’s funny.”
Should Miami replace anyone in the rotation, the obvious person to step in would be Meyer, because Braxton Garrett went on the IL this past week.
Per a source, Garrett has been diagnosed with a left posterior shoulder impingement, which puts his availability in doubt in the weeks ahead.
Edward Cabrera (biceps injury) has been making rehab starts in Jupiter and could be an option for the rotation in June.
Sixto Sanchez has been sidelined since spring training with discomfort in his throwing shoulder and has been working his way back slowly; he’s throwing from 60 feet.
Taking Garrett’s place in the Jacksonville rotation will be former seventh round pick Bryan Hoeing, who has been one of the best pitchers in Double A to start the season. Hoeing posted a 0.35 earned run average in his four starts with Pensacola.
His fastball is up to 97 miles per hour, he throws strikes (33 walks in 169 minor league innings) and he’s trending toward making his major league debut later this season.
THIS AND THAT
▪ Prior to the start of the season, the Cleveland Guardians took the temperature of what a potential trade for third baseman Jose Ramirez would look like before giving him a five-year, $124 million extension early last month.
Per sources, the Marlins were one of the teams that spoke with them, although no serious discussions took place, and Cleveland was intent on keeping him. He’s batting .341 with seven homers.
▪ The Marlins were disappointed that reliever Shawn Armstrong - who was designated for assignment on Monday - didn’t work out because they had pursued him for more than a year. They designated him in order to cut the roster to 26; he allowed 10 runs in 6 ⅔ innings this season.
Another roster decision looms as Dylan Floro nears a return from the IL. Floro, back from right rotator cuff tendinitis, will make at least one more minor league appearance.
▪ Brian Anderson admitted that no longer being an every day player hasn’t been easy, though he’s accepting the role gracefully.
In particular, “not [starting] opening day was a challenge accepting it,” he said. “But I still had an at bat in the 10th. I have room to improve on that.”
The Marlins haven’t had any malcontents complaining about their roles, beyond Jazz Chisholm retweeting complaints about not starting in the second game of the season. He later expressed remorse for those retweets.
One Marlins veteran mentioned that players liked that general manager Kim Ng reached out to some of them in the offseason to explain their roles. Ng and Don Mattingly had a Zoom session with Garrett Cooper before the 2020 season to prepare him for his role.
“It’s appreciated,” Cooper said.
As Mattingly said: “I feel like everybody is a part of it. If you ask our guys, they kind of know their roles. It’s a club that fits. You know how you’re using guys and guys know how you’re using them. That’s always good.”
▪ Shortstop Ian Lewis, rated by MLB.com as the Marlins’ 12th overall prospect, has yet to appear in any minor league games this season. The international signee from the Bahamas is on the extended spring training roster but is dealing with a personal issue.
The 18-year-old hit .302, with three homers and 27 RBI in rookie league last year.
▪ Pablo Lopez is sixth in the National League in earned run average (1.61), but one of the big questions is can he stay healthy for a full season.
In 2019, he was sidelined for more than two months (June 16-Aug. 25) with a right shoulder strain.
Last season, he missed nearly three month (July 12-Oct. 2) with a right rotator cuff strain before returning the final weekend of the season.
Lopez took a different approach this past winter, hoping to avoid more arm injuries.
“I did a lot of trial and error when it comes to trying different exercises, different movements,” he said. “What didn’t work, I left behind. What worked, I incorporated. I was just listening to my body. In the past, I thought I had to do something every day” in the offseason.
▪ It’s early, but everyone is encouraged that first baseman Lewin Diaz - still viewed as the Marlins’ potential first baseman of the future - is showing more patience at the plate. His .360 on-base average at Jacksonville is well above his .324 career minor-league on base percentage and .231 OBP in 54 big-league games.
He walked 14 times in his first 100 plate appearances in Jacksonville this year, compared with 26 walks in 312 plate appearances last year in Jacksonville.
He has four homers and 20 RBI in 22 games.
Lewin “did a good job in spring training,” offensive coordinator James Rowson said. “Did a good job with us last year. The mindset needs to continue to be knock down the door... to come here to play here and stay here. Try to knock down the door and force our hand.
“He’s a good hitter with power. Understand I didn’t say a power hitter. Sometimes you say power hitter and people only rely on the power. Lewin has the ability to be a very good hitter. He can hit the ball to all fields. He hits line drives. He takes what the game gives him, but if you make mistakes, he has the ability to drive that ball out of the ballpark, so Lewin’s biggest skill to me is he’s a really good hitter with power. I want him to continue to work that way and not be a power hitter.”
Sportsgrid’s Craig Mish is The Miami Herald’s senior baseball writer and hosts Fantasy Sports Today from 11 a.m to noon and Newswire from 2 to 3 p.m. weekdays on Sportsgrid. Follow him on Twitter at @CraigMish. Follow Barry Jackson at @flasportsbuzz.
This story was originally published May 3, 2022 at 12:57 PM.
